A sequel true to Jane Austen’s beloved masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice.Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have been married for almost a year, and their heated arguments are a thing of the past. All that passion is now directed into more satisfying pursuits. But how long can the honeymoon last? The couple’s idyllic life together at Pemberley is jeopardized by secrets they begin keeping from each other, the … other, the troubles of their closest friends, and the threat of a villain in their midst.
Layers of seemingly innocent deception are building between Darcy and Elizabeth, threatening their relationship. He is conducting some covert business dealings that he’s unwilling to share with his wife, and she likewise begins keeping things from him against her own better judgment. The couple also becomes embroiled in the tribulations of Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana, and his friend and cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Fitzwilliam falls victim to their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as the object of her latest scheme to make a noble match for her daughter. The arrangement satisfies the ambitions of the couple’s parents, but appears to hold little prospect of happiness for Anne and Fitzwilliam, who each harbor other romantic interests.
During this same period, Georgiana runs the gamut of emotions as she comes of age. Her elation at her birthday ball soon crumbles when she learns the man she secretly admires is engaged to another. The excitement of a London season and the attention of two other eligible suitors cannot make her forget her disappointment over her lost first love.
As the story progresses, the menacing shadow of Mr. Darcy’s life-long nemesis looms ever larger. By carelessness and design, Mr. Wickham and Lydia painfully intrude into the lives of the Darcys and the Bingleys, with disastrous results.
The Darcys of Pemberley is the tale of two romances: the continuation of Darcy and Elizabeth’s story, and the courtship of Miss Georgiana. For those of us who didn’t want Pride and Prejudice to end, this charming novel gives the opportunity to learn what happens after the wedding, to revisit all our old friends and foes, and to share the next chapter of their lives. Ms. Winslow carries on the saga much as Jane Austen herself might have – true to her style, her sensibilities, and the delightful characters she created.
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The Darcy’s of Pemberley: Shannon Winslow: Book 1/3
“No one told me you can love someone and still be miserable. How is that possible?” Krista Ritchie, Addicted to You
This story followed the prequel ‘Mr. Collins’s Last Supper,’ which was a small window of time explaining the demise of Mr. Collins. His widow, Charlotte, will be mentioned a lot in this book and in the epilogue, which was most excellent.
Winslow opened our story months after the Darcy’s and Bingley’s wedding. The families had gathered at Hunsford following the death of Mr. Collins. Lady Catherine snubbed Darcy and refused to receive them at Rosings. Her anger, at his marrying Elizabeth and not Anne, had not abated.
Time went on and Georgiana had her birthday ball. Lydia shamelessly invited herself and arrived with the Bingleys. Wickham tried to crash the ball and was wrestled away to the stables to sober up. Bingley picked him up on their way home the next day.
Our author chronicled the life of our dear couples, and their friends and relations over a two-year time period. Georgiana grew from a gangly teenage girl into a lovely young woman struggling with feelings and emotions that go along with growing up.
We had Anne de Bourgh improving in health, due to a new physician, and enjoying flexing her wings, to the horror and disapproval of her mother. This little act of rebellion set in motion a domino effect that was wide spread and felt throughout the family. Oh, Anne… you go girl. We rarely get to see a healthy Anne take on her mother. I think she was up to it.
Our P&P characters acted and reacted fairly much as they did in canon. Mrs. Bennet seemed a bit more… simple-minded that canon. You couldn’t reason with her if you used a two-by-four. Mr. Bennet was his usual indolent self, letting matters come to their own conclusion. I really resented him when Elizabeth tried to talk to him and he wouldn’t listen.
Kitty and Mary were in and out of this story. However, their stories and HEA will unfold in future books. This was but the first book in the Darcys of Pemberley series.
“All life demands struggle. Those who have everything given to them become lazy, selfish, and insensitive to the real values of life. The very striving and hard work that we so constantly try to avoid is the major building block in the person we are today.” Pope Paul VI
Wickham was horrid. His very presence made the skin crawl and left the reader feeling that they should wash their hands due to handling the page on which his name was written. Or, at least, rinse their mouth out from simply mentioning his name. This time he really went too far. His hatred of Darcy, his feelings of entitlement, his declaring that the Darcy siblings owed him, was insane. How could he be so callous, unfeeling, deranged, demented and vicious as to attack a woman heavy with child? Yeah, the scum-bag rat-bastard went too far when grabbed Elizabeth.
The epilogue was delightful and I do love a good epilogue.